Time to care for this carer - Naomi

My friend and colleague at Carers NT, Naomi Eyre, travelled from Nhulunbuy to Darwin on 6 August, thinking it’d be for 5 days or so for medical investigation and biopsy, while she continued working between specialist appointments.

In mid August, Naomi received the news that she’d been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity with the cancer at stage 3. She was advised that treatment would last about 6 months, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

The very delicate nature of the surgery required Naomi to travel interstate to Sydney on 14 September where she is closer to her three daughters, Sarah, Sophy, Isabella and four beautiful grandchildren.

On 27 September, Naomi entered a marathon surgery session lasting around 18 hours at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, a comprehensive cancer centre in Camperdown.

The outcome was positive, with her team of specialists optimistic that they had removed all traces of the tumour. Warning! The next bit is not for the squeamish … To remove the tumour, Naomi has had her nose removed and a skin graft from her thigh attached to her face. Eventually, there will be reconstructive surgeries to rebuild her snoz.

After 2 days in ICU she was then transferred to a private room for a recovery period, only to return to theatre on day 4 post-op with some fluid leak issues. A disheartening time for Naomi, but if you are following her journey on FB, you’ll see she’s always looking for the positives!

Going forward, once she is discharged from Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, there will be a lot of travel between Sydney and Newcastle to undergo radiation treatment and chemo. As Naomi says, “it’s a shit of a drive”. She says she’d rather do the 2-hour journey on the unsealed Central Arnhem Road from Nhulunbuy to Gapuwiyak!

Throughout this treatment period, Naomi is not earning a wage, has used up any personal leave, and does not have private health insurance.

Right now, she needs the care and support of her friends to get through this challenging period in her life. Your warm wishes, messages and healing vibes bolster her resolve and confidence to fight this cancer. Your cash donation helps her to pay for medical expenses and her cost of living.

Naomi has worked as a personal care assistant /support worker most of her life, starting as a teenager looking after her grandfather who had dementia. She is one of a kind and one of the kindest people you could hope to meet.

Naomi returned to us at Carers NT in Nhulunbuy in May (after an epic road trip with her four-legged faithful doggo, Diego) to take up the position of ‘house coordinator’. In this role, she oversees the day-to-day running of Carers supported independent living home, Djäka’mi, a Yolŋu word which literally means ‘to care’ and provides 24-hour care to up to 10 clients; NDIS participants and respite clients.

Whether you can give just a little or a lot, please – if you can – hit the donate button and make a donation to help Naomi during this difficult time. She will be eternally grateful for your support, and it will help to reduce some anxiety around how she is going to manage financially.

It’s time to care for this amazing carer. Thank you for your support for Naomi!